Mental Health and Well-Being for Educators

The Mental Health and Well-Being for Educators Concentration as part of the MA in Educational Studies degree program comprises graduate-level curriculum for teachers, school-based personnel, and youth workers. These new and innovative courses have been designed by educators, mental health experts, and youth workers and promote collaborative learning and honor both lived and professional experience.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) and Children’s Hospital Association have declared a national emergency in children’s mental health, citing the serious toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on top of existing challenges. In addition, in the recent Minnesota Principal Survey, principals identified student mental health as their single greatest challenge, citing that student mental health challenges represent a major barrier to student learning at their schools. Principals believed that the student mental health challenges they witnessed at school were primarily caused by student trauma, social media engagement, and the mental health challenges of caregivers.

The School of Education has responded to these challenges by developing the Mental Health and Well-Being for Educators Concentration. Funding is made possible by the generous support of the Minnesota Institute for Trauma-Informed Education (MITIE).